Chapter 15: Old Friends
When Sora woke up she was freezing. Her head still spun but her energy had returned to her. She saw Tasuki asleep on a chair next to her. She crawled to the other end of the bed and staggered to the front door of her room. She braced herself on the wall and walked out to the courtyard. She sat herself on the damp grass and looked up at the sky which seemed blurry to her. She heard footsteps on the grass behind her. She looked and saw a very stately looking person. She began to get up, "I'm sorry I am out of my room. I'll.I'll go back now." The pretty figure came to her and motioned for her to sit down.
"It is all right. You need not hurt yourself. This is my land and you have permission to do as you please."She looked at the beautiful.. male.yes a male with long brown hair.
"This is.your land?" Sora questioned.
"Yes.well it used to be." The figure looked away sad.
"Are you Empress Hokie?" Sora questioned.
"No I'm just a dear friend to Tasuki and Chichiri."
"You know them?"
"Yes. We all protected a girl who came from another world." "That would mean you are a suzaku seishi right?"
"Yes it does." Sora smiled at him realizing he was an ally.but wait.something was not right.
"But.all of the other warriors are.dead." She looked at the beautiful man fearfully.
"So you found me out." Sora felt her face grow even more pale.
"Does that mean I am dead too."
"No no dear girl. I am just checking in on my friends. I am allowed to do at least that right?" Sora felt slightly weird talking to a dead man.
"Don't be afraid. My name is Hotohori. I was once the emperor of Konan."
"I know about you.Chichiri had told me stories about you and the rest of the warriors. Too bad I could not met you while you were alive. You all seemed very nice."
"That does not mean you can not meet us now." Sora laughed although it hurt.
"You are right haha *cough* here I am talking to a corpse."
"I am a spirit! Not a corpse!" The Sora felt another presence near her. She looked behind her to see a feminine looking male with purple hair and happy violet eyes.
"We don't like being called corpses. We prefer physically-challenged. Were don't have bodies after all^.~" Sora felt in a jam. Now who was this that showed up?
"I'm Nuriko. Nice to meet you girlie."
"Who said that you could come see Sora, Nuriko?" Hotohori questioned.
"I had to see what girl had stolen Tasuki's heart Ho-Chan."
"Don't call me that." Hotohori scowled. Sora watching in amusement. So this is how it was like when the priestess was around. She felt jealous because her friends were not a true as they seemed to be.
"It is nice to know you still have friends after death." Nuriko came over to Sora and tried to place his hand on her shoulder even though it floated right through.
"Friends are not to the end.friends should last forever."
"That is true Sora. But as far as I can tell, friendship is under rated in your world."
"Ain't that the truth." For the next hour or so Sora talked with the spirits of the suzaku warriors until she heard some movement from her room. Nuriko quickly gave Sora a wave and tossed her a sac. Hotohori tossed her one as well and waved.
"Ho-Chan and I will see you later. Take care of Tasuki, he can be tough to handle sometimes."
"Don't call me HO-CHAN! Oh and Sora.you may not wanna tell Tasuki about our visit. I am not sure he would take it well." Sora waved to them and placed the bags in her yukata pocket. She saw Tasuki rush out of his room and then stop when he saw her.
"Oh! Sora! You almost gave me a heart attack! You should be in bed."
"I know I just don't like feeling cooped up." Tasuki looked about and felt a familiar feeling.
"Who were you talking to?" Sora felt a little odd lying but she supposed she had to.
"No one really." Tasuki helped her to her feet and then carried her back to her room. She lay in bed wondering about what had happened and wondered what was in those bags Nuriko and Hotohori gave her. She would look in the morning when Tasuki wasn't there.
"Tasuki.What happened to all of the other suzaku seishi." Sora asked. She wanted to get her notes straight. Tasuki took a hard breath and then began to explain.
"Nuriko was the first of us to go. When we were getting the shinzaho of Genbu, Nuriko fought to the death with Aishitare who is a warrior of seiryuu." Sora remembered the story and began to feel visions and emotions in her head. She could see Nuriko's last moments and felt her eyes become sore with tears.
"I'm sorry. Is this making you upset?"
"No. I want to hear about it if it doesn't upset you."
"OK. Well then the youngest of the seishi, Chiriko, took his own life when.." Sora listened to the fate of all the deceased warriors. She saw in her mind all that had happened to them. Then he came to the last one.
"Tamahome.I don't know what happened to him. Taitsukun said that he went to the world of the priestess to be with her. I hope that is the case." Tasuki rested his head in his hands in sorrow.
"I don't know if I will be as lucky."
"What do you mean?"
"I. I fear.that."
"What?" Tasuki took hold of Sora's hands.
" Tatara and Suzuno, Tatara was a Byakko warrior and Suzuno was his priestess, they were deeply in love. No matter what they did, even Byakko could not keep them together. Only in death they were reunited. Tamahome may or may not have gone to the world of his beloved. I have faith that he did but what about us? What will happen." Sora squeezed his hands tightly.
"We should enjoy the time we have together. If time should break us apart, love will still find a way. I promise you that." Tasuki hugged her tightly. He pulled her from him a moment and looked into her face,
"I love you. I never thought I would love anyone. Tell me that you.love me too." Sora felt her face grow pale. She has a hard time saying those words. As she stuttered she finally got out,
"I..I love you Tasuki." Tasuki held her tight once more, but she gave a slight grunt in pain.
"Sorry Sora hehe." They laughed with one another a minute. They whispered 'I love you' to one another before Sora went to sleep for the night. Outside the palace gates a guard passed way for a man.
'Welcome back Master Chichiri."
"I'm glad to be back." Chichiri grinned a grin not like his own. "I will see you soon dear sister."
When Sora woke up she was freezing. Her head still spun but her energy had returned to her. She saw Tasuki asleep on a chair next to her. She crawled to the other end of the bed and staggered to the front door of her room. She braced herself on the wall and walked out to the courtyard. She sat herself on the damp grass and looked up at the sky which seemed blurry to her. She heard footsteps on the grass behind her. She looked and saw a very stately looking person. She began to get up, "I'm sorry I am out of my room. I'll.I'll go back now." The pretty figure came to her and motioned for her to sit down.
"It is all right. You need not hurt yourself. This is my land and you have permission to do as you please."She looked at the beautiful.. male.yes a male with long brown hair.
"This is.your land?" Sora questioned.
"Yes.well it used to be." The figure looked away sad.
"Are you Empress Hokie?" Sora questioned.
"No I'm just a dear friend to Tasuki and Chichiri."
"You know them?"
"Yes. We all protected a girl who came from another world." "That would mean you are a suzaku seishi right?"
"Yes it does." Sora smiled at him realizing he was an ally.but wait.something was not right.
"But.all of the other warriors are.dead." She looked at the beautiful man fearfully.
"So you found me out." Sora felt her face grow even more pale.
"Does that mean I am dead too."
"No no dear girl. I am just checking in on my friends. I am allowed to do at least that right?" Sora felt slightly weird talking to a dead man.
"Don't be afraid. My name is Hotohori. I was once the emperor of Konan."
"I know about you.Chichiri had told me stories about you and the rest of the warriors. Too bad I could not met you while you were alive. You all seemed very nice."
"That does not mean you can not meet us now." Sora laughed although it hurt.
"You are right haha *cough* here I am talking to a corpse."
"I am a spirit! Not a corpse!" The Sora felt another presence near her. She looked behind her to see a feminine looking male with purple hair and happy violet eyes.
"We don't like being called corpses. We prefer physically-challenged. Were don't have bodies after all^.~" Sora felt in a jam. Now who was this that showed up?
"I'm Nuriko. Nice to meet you girlie."
"Who said that you could come see Sora, Nuriko?" Hotohori questioned.
"I had to see what girl had stolen Tasuki's heart Ho-Chan."
"Don't call me that." Hotohori scowled. Sora watching in amusement. So this is how it was like when the priestess was around. She felt jealous because her friends were not a true as they seemed to be.
"It is nice to know you still have friends after death." Nuriko came over to Sora and tried to place his hand on her shoulder even though it floated right through.
"Friends are not to the end.friends should last forever."
"That is true Sora. But as far as I can tell, friendship is under rated in your world."
"Ain't that the truth." For the next hour or so Sora talked with the spirits of the suzaku warriors until she heard some movement from her room. Nuriko quickly gave Sora a wave and tossed her a sac. Hotohori tossed her one as well and waved.
"Ho-Chan and I will see you later. Take care of Tasuki, he can be tough to handle sometimes."
"Don't call me HO-CHAN! Oh and Sora.you may not wanna tell Tasuki about our visit. I am not sure he would take it well." Sora waved to them and placed the bags in her yukata pocket. She saw Tasuki rush out of his room and then stop when he saw her.
"Oh! Sora! You almost gave me a heart attack! You should be in bed."
"I know I just don't like feeling cooped up." Tasuki looked about and felt a familiar feeling.
"Who were you talking to?" Sora felt a little odd lying but she supposed she had to.
"No one really." Tasuki helped her to her feet and then carried her back to her room. She lay in bed wondering about what had happened and wondered what was in those bags Nuriko and Hotohori gave her. She would look in the morning when Tasuki wasn't there.
"Tasuki.What happened to all of the other suzaku seishi." Sora asked. She wanted to get her notes straight. Tasuki took a hard breath and then began to explain.
"Nuriko was the first of us to go. When we were getting the shinzaho of Genbu, Nuriko fought to the death with Aishitare who is a warrior of seiryuu." Sora remembered the story and began to feel visions and emotions in her head. She could see Nuriko's last moments and felt her eyes become sore with tears.
"I'm sorry. Is this making you upset?"
"No. I want to hear about it if it doesn't upset you."
"OK. Well then the youngest of the seishi, Chiriko, took his own life when.." Sora listened to the fate of all the deceased warriors. She saw in her mind all that had happened to them. Then he came to the last one.
"Tamahome.I don't know what happened to him. Taitsukun said that he went to the world of the priestess to be with her. I hope that is the case." Tasuki rested his head in his hands in sorrow.
"I don't know if I will be as lucky."
"What do you mean?"
"I. I fear.that."
"What?" Tasuki took hold of Sora's hands.
" Tatara and Suzuno, Tatara was a Byakko warrior and Suzuno was his priestess, they were deeply in love. No matter what they did, even Byakko could not keep them together. Only in death they were reunited. Tamahome may or may not have gone to the world of his beloved. I have faith that he did but what about us? What will happen." Sora squeezed his hands tightly.
"We should enjoy the time we have together. If time should break us apart, love will still find a way. I promise you that." Tasuki hugged her tightly. He pulled her from him a moment and looked into her face,
"I love you. I never thought I would love anyone. Tell me that you.love me too." Sora felt her face grow pale. She has a hard time saying those words. As she stuttered she finally got out,
"I..I love you Tasuki." Tasuki held her tight once more, but she gave a slight grunt in pain.
"Sorry Sora hehe." They laughed with one another a minute. They whispered 'I love you' to one another before Sora went to sleep for the night. Outside the palace gates a guard passed way for a man.
'Welcome back Master Chichiri."
"I'm glad to be back." Chichiri grinned a grin not like his own. "I will see you soon dear sister."